Interview with Digital Artist Anthony Giacomino

In our own tutorials here on Design.CreativeFan, we’ve discussed the power of combining techniques in digital art, including illustration, 3D, photographic reference and digital painting to be able to create stunning results that are limitless. However, it often helps to see some of the limitless possibilities in action.

In this interview with digital artist, Slashthree and Intrinsic Nature member Anthony Giacomino, you’ll get an insight into his creative process and artistic mind, and be inspired by his breathtakingly detailed work.

Thanks for taking the time to interview with us. First off, could you tell us a little about yourself?

Aside from design and visual art, I really enjoy photography, music, sports (particularly basketball), and also gaming and movies. I’m really getting into macro photography and it’s a big focus right now. I am in my final year of college. I hope to find some helpful design jobs for a few years and then explore other options, such as freelancing full-time or opening a small studio in town.

How did you get started with digital art?

Well, I’ve used design software for about 6 years now. For the first couple of years it was mainly just creating little things for fun. I loved Photoshop, and the more I used it, the more I wanted to improve and learn. Eventually I started really focusing on visual art and design, and branched out to learning other programs and implementing hand-drawing as well (tablet mainly).

Chromatic Flow

From a creative standpoint, is it easier to work on personal work or client work?

That’s a good question. I think it’s generally easier to work on personal works, but my problem is that I am so picky and focus a lot of time on small pieces. While you don’t have the final say in client works, I’ve learned they don’t tend to notice the “little things” as much as I might for a personal work. So essentially personal works are easier since it’s all me, but they take longer in many cases just because I have an unlimited amount of time to perfect things that I might not have the time to do for a client work.

Arcadia Magic

How would you describe your style, in a sentence or two?

My style is unpredictable andranges from piece to piece, but it tends to either include mixed media elements with digital painting, stock photos and some abstract elements. Sometimes it’s mainly a more dynamic look with shapes, lights and other effects to form abstract works.

Discodance Dissonance

Why do you like your current style, and why stick with it as opposed to working with a different style, technique or medium?

I think it’s just fun to create works that are colorful and detailed. When it comes to personal works, I tend to like it to be something that is fun to look at it. I don’t take it super seriously in terms of making perfect sense to people. I want people to take time to look around and spot little details.

I Am A Laser

What program do you do the majority of your work in, and why?

I tend to work in Adobe Photoshop the most, because it’s the most versatile in terms of pulling off tons of effects and it’s packed with nice features. I’m also the most comfortable with it. I use Illustrator and Cinema 4d in moderation for personal works and Indesign more for client works or layouts.

Gaia

Do you use any external hardware such as a drawing tablet? How do you use it in your workflow?

I use a Wacom Intuos 3, and it’s great. Not just for drawing things, but for speeding up certain aspects of the design process. It’s nice for getting in close on images and making precise cut-outs.

Do you have any advice for beginning artists out there?

Do what you enjoy most and build on that first. Start with your strengths and you will have plenty of time to expand to other mediums/styles as you learn and improve. Make sure to get a foundation for the basics of art and design, so you can apply them to your work.

Vitality

Anything else you’d like to say? Any projects you’re working on that you want to draw attention to, or closing thoughts for the readers?

Keep following my photography in particular, because I’m working hard and trying to improve. It would be great to see some comments on my account at http://agiaco.deviantart.com/ Otherwise, keep an eye out for the Intrinsic Nature group. I’m trying to get back into the swing of things and hopefully some new personal work will be out in a few months.

About Author

Eric Shafer

Eric Shafer is a creative media enthusiast from Chicago, IL. He works frequently in the fields of graphic design, web design, web development, programming, audio, music and computer graphics. He is one of the founders of Presidia, an entrepreneurial team designed at empowering the creative media community. He is also one of the administration team members here at CreativeFan.